Model-based design can be used for hardware and software systems (e.g., cyber-physical systems (CPSs)). Data flow semantics can be used to specify control algorithms. One area in which model-based design is increasingly applied is for the design and certification of flight-critical software. In this area, MATLAB Simulink and Esterel Technologies SCADE, in particular, are widely used in the aerospace industry for modeling and simulation-based evaluation of avionics CPSs. Both Simulink and SCADE use data flow models for model-based design.
Verification tools exist to analyze type and range data in the context of data flow models, according to the DO-178B software certification process. Such tools can automate a number of previously manual tasks, including code reviews, model analysis, and object code testing.